Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

Democrats have enjoyed strong showings in special elections in Florida and a big win in Wisconsin this week, not to mention Sen. Cory Booker's record-breaking speech on the Senate floor.On Today's Show:Katie Glueck, political reporter at The New York Times, offers analysis of Dems' very good week.

The Trump Administration is seeking the death penalty in the case against Luigi Mangione, who allegedly stalked and fatally shot a health insurance executive. On Today's Show:Samantha Max, reporter covering public safety for WNYC/Gothamist, talks about Trump's relationship with capital punishment, and how Mangione's status as a folk hero to some factors into the political equation.

President Trump is reportedly planning to unveil a slate of new tariffs on Wednesday, which he has dubbed "Liberation Day."On Today's Show:Felix Salmon, chief financial correspondent for Axios, host of the Slate Money Podcast, and author of The Phoenix Economy: Work, Life, and Money in the New Not Normal (‎Harper Business, 2023), talks about President Trump's trade policies, and whether new taxes on imports will boost U.S. manufacturing, as the administration hopes it will.

Over the weekend, there were several developments in the stories about military plans accidentally shared with a journalist, and on Democrats' political priorities in Congress.On Today's Show:Jim Newell, Slate's senior politics writer, breaks down the latest national politics headlines since Friday.

A doctoral student at Tufts University was detained in an arrest that was caught on video and shared widely, and accused of supporting Hamas by the Department of Homeland Security. On today's show: Lindsay Nash, associate and clinical professor of law at Cardozo Law and co-director of the Kathryn O. Greenberg Immigration Justice Clinic, offers legal analysis of this and other arrests of pro-Palestinian immigrants.

Columbia University agreed to the Trump administration's demands in order to restore $400 million dollars in federal funds, leading some faculty members to protest and take legal action. On today's show: David Graham, staff writer at The Atlantic and author of the forthcoming book The Project: How Project 2025 Is Reshaping America (Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2025), reports on the latest in the school's relationship with the administration—and what it might mean for academic freedom at schools across the country.

Members of President Trump's national security team accidentally texted detailed plans for a military strike to an American journalist, opening the administration up to criticisms about its handling of classified information. On Today's Show:U.S. Representative Mikie Sherrill (D, NJ-11), a former active duty Navy pilot, talks about the scandal, her work in Washington, and more.

When it comes to bird flu, the nation's top public health official wants to let the infection burn through flocks to identify birds with high immunity.On Today's Show:Apoorva Mandavilli, reporter for The New York Times, focusing on science and global health, discusses the government's approach to bird flu, and why veterinary scientists say that RFK Jr.'s approach will likely cost more than it helps.

On Friday, Columbia University's administration agreed to demands from the Trump administration over the institution's responses to pro-Palestinian protests on campus. Columbia faculty members Joseph Howley, associate professor of Classics, and Ester Fuchs, professor of International and Public Affairs and Political Science, weigh in. Then Sarah Brown and Kate Bellows from The Chronicle of Higher Education bring their reporting on the situation at Columbia and at other colleges and universities around the country where Trump has attempted to exercise control over issues including campus speech, DEI and Title IX.

President Trump has signed an executive order aimed at downsizing the Education Department, leaving many who hold federal student aid with major questions about repayment. On today's show: Annie Nova, who covers personal finance for CNBC, unpacks the latest news about the Ed Department and the predicament for student borrowers.

Shane Goldmacher, national political correspondent for The New York Times covering the major developments, trends and forces shaping American politics, shares his reporting on how the Trump administration is attempting to sabotage Democrats' operations, and how it could affect elections and Democrats' ability to gain power in the future.

With Trump squaring off against the federal court system, which has attempted to block some of his actions, we look at the state of the judiciary branch.On Today's Show:Heather Cox Richardson, professor of American history at Boston College and author of "Letters from an American" on Substack and several books, including Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America (Viking, 2023), offers a historian's take on the first weeks of the second Trump presidency.

The federal government has issued a list of demands to Columbia University that they say it must comply with in order to restore hundreds of millions of dollars of fundingOn Today's Show:Jake Offenhartz, New York City reporter for The Associated Press, talks about the nature of the ultimatum and the contentious relationship between the university and the Trump administration.

On today's show: David Sanger, White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times and the author of New Cold Wars: China's Rise, Russia's Invasion, and America's Struggle to Defend the West (Crown, 2024), talks about the many ways in which President Trump and his administration have challenged the post-WWII international order.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detailed Mahmoud Khalil—a legal permanent resident with a green card and prominent student-activist-turned-negotiator in pro-Palestine demonstrations at Colombia University.On Today's Show:Peter Markowitz, professor of law at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and the founding faculty member and co-director of the Kathryn O. Greenberg Immigration Justice Clinic, offers legal analysis of the detention.

President Trump's U.S. Department of Agriculture has purged the agency's website of information related to climate change, extreme weather resilience and sustainable farming practices.On Today's Show:Emily Atkin, editor-in-chief of the HEATED newsletter, unpacks the story.

Elon Musk and DOGE are slashing the size of the federal workforce in what they say will bring big savings to taxpayers. On Today's Show:Stephen Fowler, political reporter with NPR's Washington desk, reports on the typos, exaggerations and shoddy math in DOGE's receipts.

After 6 weeks of the new Trump administration, different parts of the political left are calling for different postures in opposing it. On Today's Show:Anand Giridharadas, journalist, publisher of the newsletter The.Ink, analyst for MSNBC, and the author of The Persuaders: At the Front Lines of the Fight for Hearts, Minds, and Democracy (Knopf, 2022), shares his thoughts on the state of American democracy and what protest actions can be taken by those opposed to President Trump's current policies.

After President Donald Trump delivered his address to joint session of Congress, we explore how the Democratic senator from Michigan responded.On Today's Show:Kadia Goba, congressional reporter for Semafor, provides her analysis from the chamber, and her reporting on how Democrats have responded to Trump's speech

With RFK Jr. at the helm of the nation's health policies, we hear some public health analysis on his recent official actions from an expert on infectious diseases.On Today's Show:Jessica Malaty Rivera, epidemiologist, science communicator and PhD student at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, talks about the government's response to the ongoing measles outbreaks, why an FDA vaccine advisory committee meeting on planning next year's flu shot was cancelled and what it could mean for next year's flu season.

President Trump is being choosy about which reporters are allowed to cover him as part of the White House press pool.On Today's Show:Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of several books, including The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters (Simon & Schuster, 2024), talks about the latest national political news, including the White House's relationship with the media, and the tense negotiations last week with Ukrainian President Zelensky.

People opposed to the Trump administration have organized an economic boycott to demonstrate their opposition.On Today's Show:John Nichols, national-affairs correspondent for The Nation magazine and the author of, with Sen. Bernie Sanders, It’s OK to be Angry About Capitalism (Crown, 2023), talks about today's planned protest boycotts and other responses by those opposed to the early Trump administration actions.

Jeff Bezos, the owner of The Washington Post, recently announced a major shift to the newspaper’s opinion section, saying that it would now advocate for “personal liberties and free markets."On Today's Show:Paul Farhi, former reporter at The Washington Post, where he reported on the news media for 13 years, explains what the new directive means and walks through the history of opinion editorials and their purpose.

What does US economic policy look like at the intersection of Trump's legislative agenda, his tax policy and the budget put forward by congressional Republicans?On Today's Show:Jacob Bogage, Congressional economics correspondent at The Washington Post, and Joseph Rosenberg, senior fellow at the Urban Institute / Tax Policy Center, offer their policy analysis of the current US government.

We're starting a new monthly series in which New Jersey's new junior Senator.On Today's Show:U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D NJ), talks about his work in the Senate and the issues in New Jersey, including the Trump administrations cuts to key services, and other national issues important to his constituents.

U.S. Justice Department attorneys and Mayor Eric Adams appeared before federal Judge Dale Ho, asking that the five federal corruption and bribery charges against Adams should be dropped.On Today's Show:Elie Mystal, justice correspondent and columnist for The Nation and host of their legal podcast, "Contempt of Court," author of Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution (The New Press, 2023), and the forthcoming Bad Law: 10 Popular Laws That Are Ruining America (The New Press, 2025), offers his analysis on the rule of law and accountability with regard to Mayor Adams, President Trump and Elon Musk.

European leaders have called an emergency meeting after President Donald Trump suggested Ukraine is to blame for Russia’s invasion of it.On Today's Show:Richard Stengel, former Under Secretary of State during the Obama administration, political analyst at MSNBC and author of Information Wars: How We Lost the Battle Against Disinformation (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2019), breaks down the latest as Trump seemingly pivots away from European allies and towards President Vladimir Putin's Russia.

On today's show: Robert P. Jones, president and founder of Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and the author of The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy: And the Path to a Shared American Future (Simon & Schuster, 2023); Ryan Burge, associate professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University, research director for Faith Counts, and the author of The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going (Fortress Press, 2021); and Konstantin Toropin, Military.com's Pentagon correspondent, discuss the overlap and contradictions in the Trump administration's policies toward identity and religious affiliation.

In Munich last week, Vice President JD Vance asked leaders not to shun the far right. On today's show: Fred Kaplan, Slate's War Stories columnist and the author of many nonfiction books and his latest, a novel, A Capital Calamity (Miniver Press, 2024), offers analysis of the Trump administration's European tour.

With the word 'unprecedented' often used to describe President Trump's approach to executive power, we look at his first few actions in historical context.On Today's Show:On Presidents Day, as our centennial series continues, Douglas Brinkley, professor of history at Rice University, a CNN Presidential Historian, and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, talks about the history of U.S. presidents and their exercise of executive power and how President Trump's actions compare.

What has been the impact of Trump's DOJ dropping the charges against NYC Mayor Adams?On Today's Show:Dan Goldman, US representative (D, NY-10), formerly lead counsel for the impeachment investigation of Pres. Trump in 2019 and former assistant US attorney, responds to President Trump's executive orders, the latest developments in Eric Adams' cases, and the removal of references to Trans people at the Stonewall National Monument.

With Trump's White House taking certain steps that have raised some constitutional concerns, we asked a constitutional scholar to explain the law.On Today's Show:Kate Shaw, professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, co-host of the Supreme Court podcast Strict Scrutiny, and a contributing opinion writer with the New York Times, talks about the constitutional issues at stake with some of the actions taken by the White House.

President Trump has been clear he'd like to dismantle the Education Department.On Today's Show:Dana Goldstein, education reporter at The New York Times and the author of The Teacher Wars: A History of America's Most Embattled Profession (Anchor, 2015), reports on how Elon Musk and DOGE have started to do that, and how their plans will affect schools and education, and how Trump's pick for Education Secretary, Linda McMahon, fits in with the White House's agenda

As part of his aggressive posture on trade policy, President Trump has announced a new 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports.On Today's Show:Monica Gorman, managing director at Crowell Global Advisors who served as special assistant to the president for manufacturing & industrial policy under former President Joe Biden, talks about the White House's broader trade policy.

President Trump begins the fourth week of his second term today. On Today's Show:Susan Page, USA Today Washington bureau chief and the author of several books, including The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters (Simon & Schuster, 2024), talks about the latest national political news, including the status of import tariffs and the trade war, the apparent work-stoppage at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the photo of Elon Musk sitting behind the Resolute Desk.

Only a few weeks into President Trump's second term, and there are already legal fights gearing up over several of his new policies.On Today's Show:Stephen Vladeck, professor of federal courts at Georgetown University Law Center, talks about some of the legal challenges to early actions by the Trump administration.

Federal agencies like the CDC, NIH and the FDA had to remove and alter some data from their websites to comply with executive orders issued by President Trump.On Today's Show:Katelyn Jetelina, founder and author of the newsletter "Your Local Epidemiologist," explains why data is "gold," and how these changes may affect our health.

Reporting suggests that Elon Musk has continued to try to reshape several federal government institutions to fit his and President Trump's agenda. On Today's Show:Andrew Prokop, senior politics correspondent at Vox, talks about the "vast powers" that President Trump has given to Elon Musk, what he's doing with them and what's underpinning the effort overhaul of the federal bureaucracy.

Democrats are pondering how to posture themselves against President Trump's agenda and the GOP-controlled Congress.On Today's Show:House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D NY-8th, Brooklyn) explains what he is calling for Democrats to do in response to President Trump's moves on federal funding, tariffs and more.

Much of the recent news cycle has centered on the Trump administration's efforts to offer a buyout to federal workers in exchange for their resignations.On Today's Show:Francesca Chambers, White House Correspondent for USA Today, talks about the news from Washington as the second Trump administration begins its third week.

On today's show:U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D NJ) talks about the Trump cabinet nominees, including his questioning of RFK, Jr. on Thursday, plus his other work in Washington and New Jersey.

The White House budget office ordered a pause on federal loans and grants, only to issue a reversal days later.On Today's Show:Kate Shaw, professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, co-host of the Supreme Court podcast Strict Scrutiny and a contributing opinion writer with The New York Times, offers legal analysis of the move — and the Trump administration's attempts to expand executive power in general.

With Trump's pick for Secretary of Health and Human Services, RFK Jr. appearing for his confirmation hearing today, we present special coverage of the proceedings.On Today's Show:Daniel Griffin, MD, PhD, chief of infectious disease for Island Infectious Diseases (the largest physician-owned Infectious Disease Specialist Group on Long Island), an infectious disease specialist and clinical instructor of medicine at Columbia University and president of Parasites Without Borders and co-host of the podcast "This Week in Virology", offers his commentary and analysis.

With Trump ally Robert F. Kennedy Jr. expected to head up the Department of Health and Human Services, we look ahead to his upcoming confirmation hearings.On Today's Show:Clare Malone, staff writer at The New Yorker covering media and politics, previews RFK;s first of two confirmation hearings tomorrow as President Donald Trump’s nominee.

Looking back at the first full week of Trump's second term, which includes moves on immigration, foreign aid, and more.On Today's Show:Jill Colvin, national political reporter for The Associated Press, talks about the latest national political news.

With so many Silicon Valley CEOs changing their policies to align with the new Trump administration, we explore how money, power and technology have earned certain 'oligarchs' a seat at the president's table. On Today's Show:Ashley Parker, staff writer at The Atlantic, former Washington Post White House bureau chief, talks about the close relationship between the incoming Trump administration and tech billionaires.

On today's show: Russell Contreras, Justice and Race reporter at Axios, discusses President Donald Trump's sweeping executive order revoking decades of diversity and affirmative action practices in the federal government and how it might impact the private sector.

On today's show: Jason Marczak, vice president and senior director of the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center at the Atlantic Council, and Peter Bergen, CNN's national security analyst, vice president for Global Studies and Fellows at New America and host of the Audible/Fresh Produce Media podcast "In the Room with Peter Bergen," offer analysis of President Trump's statements in his inaugural address about taking back the Panama Canal.

Yesterday's inauguration of President Trump began a whirlwind day of executive orders, unofficial speeches and attention grabbing gestures. On Today's Show:Jon Favreau, host of Pod Save America, Offline with Jon Favreau, and co-founder of Crooked Media, and Jon Lovett, host of Pod Save America and co-founder of Crooked Media, round up the latest news from Washington.

In honor of Martin Luther King Day, we present a live event exploring King's legacy, and what the lessons of his activism can offer us today. On Today's Show:For the centennial series "100 Years of 100 Things," Rev. Jacqueline Lewis, senior minister and public theologian at the Middle Collegiate Church, and author of Fierce Love: A Bold Path to Ferocious Courage and Rule-Breaking Kindness that Can Heal the World (Harmony, 2021), and Jeanne Theoharis, professor of political science at Brooklyn College, and the author of many books on the civil rights and Black Power movements and the contemporary politics of race, reflect on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life and legacy, on the day that honors him.